By Healthcare Facilities Today

According to a recent survey conducted by Mortenson Construction, the Affordable Care Act will have a profound impact on the way buildings are used and designed to deliver healthcare. The survey polled 190 health care administrators, facilities leaders and architects.

In a Q&A posted on the Star Tribune website, Mortenson's Mike Pedersen said the survey shows that healthcare providers know that they must reduce costs and improve outcomes and their physical plant can help them do so.

According to the article, a key takeaway from the survey was that more than half of the health care providers feel the ACA will be a step forward in addressing long-term health issues in the United States. Four out of five of those responding still felt some uncertainty on how it will play out. Four out of five respondents also said focusing on health outcomes is the right way to go.

Pederson said that 95% of those surveyed thought a clinic or ambulatory facility with outpatient care would become more prominent in health care. 

"That’s a real shift because the providers are saying we need to focus on outcomes, and the patients are saying we want to have an environment that is more like our home environment," he said in the article.

Read the article.